Frying apparatus

Abstract

A frying apparatus for food products is described which includes a fat holding tank, a transfer conveyor within the tank extending from one end to the other for transporting food products through the tank and a drive motor for the conveyor. The conveyor is preferably provided with upwardly extending, downwardly opening recesses to engage the top of the food products within the fat. The food products extend up into these recesses so that the engagement of the food products with the recesses is adapted to prevent slippage between the food and the conveyor. The invention also includes a provision for elevating and advancing incoming products within the fat to thereby transport them toward the outlet until securely engaged by the conveyor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A food fryer for cooking a flat farinaceous dough food product comprising a frying vessel having an inlet end and an outlet end and being adapted for holding fat, a heater for the fat in the vessel, an inlet conveyor having an upper run portion inclined downwardly into the vessel from the inlet end, a hold-down conveyor having a feed end adjacent the inlet end with the hold-down conveyor extending generally horizontally from one end of the vessel to the other, drive means connected to the hold-down conveyor for advancing the conveyor, said hold-down conveyor having an endless conveyor element including upper and lower runs, the lower run being located in close enough proximity with the frying fat to engage the product to be fried, said hold-down conveyor further including a generally planar intermediate run between a pair of conveyor supports, at the feed end and extending between the upper run and lower run at an incline and spaced from and generally parallel to the inlet conveyor upper run portion, an upper end portion of the intermediate run being positioned above the surface of the fat, said product being bouyed by said fat into contact with said lower run, said hold-down conveyor comprising an open wire mesh defining a plurality of openings therein, said mesh being disposed in a generally flat horizontal plane along said lower run and said openings being operable to allow portions of the top surface of food product bouyed by said fat into contact with said wire mesh expand upwardly into said openings during frying to form on said surface a corresponding plurality of upwardly projecting blisters having side walls which engage the wires of the mesh and prevent slippage between the food product and the conveyor. 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 including an outlet conveyor for carrying the product out of the frying fat adjacent an outlet end of the hold-down conveyor. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a fluid jet is directed along a diagonal extending upwardly and forwardly in the direction of the outlet end of the hold-down conveyor to thereby both support the food product initially when located beneath the inlet end of the hold-down conveyor and advance the food products in the direction of the outlet end of the hold-down conveyor. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the inlet conveyor comprises a downwardly and centrally extending inclined belt conveyor entrained over a hollow tube at the lower end thereof and means is provided for expelling fat upwardly and centrally from the hollow tube to elevate and advance the food products. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inlet conveyor has a generally horizontal portion located beneath the lower run of the hold-down conveyor adjacent the feed end whereby the food product is initially supported in the fat by the inlet conveyor and after being in contact with the hot fat becomes heated and expands thereby floating upardly in the frying fat into engagement with the lower run of the hold-down conveyor. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said openings in said mesh are at least one inch across.